Canadian Armed Forces member dies in avalanche in Switzerland

Captain Sean Thomas poses in front of a Canadian flag. (Courtesy: Government of Canada, National Defence)

The Department of National Defence is mourning the loss of a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

In a media release, the department said Captain Sean Thomas went missing in an avalanche in Switzerland while on leave from an operational deployment.

He is presumed to have been killed.

Thomas was an Infantry Officer and deployed to Operation IMPACT in the Middle East as part of the Canadian Training Assistance Team in Jordan.

He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2018 and was a member of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada.

“In this moment of profound reflection and sorrow, our thoughts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Captain Sean Thomas. We remember and honour Captain Thomas not just for his service, but for the unwavering dedication and professionalism with which he served our nation. His absence will be profoundly felt by all those who knew him and served alongside him,” Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre said in the release.

Thomas was on leave in Switzerland and presumed to have died in the avalanche on April 1, 2024.

A paramedic from Waterloo, Nicole (Nikky) Nagy also killed in an avalanche on April 1 while she and her boyfriend were snowboarding. She had worked as a paramedic in Perth County since April 2022.

Thomas' family has requested privacy.